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MARK 12:13-17 NIV
Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.
REFERENCES: MARK 12:30, 2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-5, LUKE 20:22, GENESIS 1:27, ROMANS 12:1-2
Money can be a difficult and delicate topic to discuss. But if you give it some thought, money is simply an idea. It represents something of worth and only has value because an authority maintains it. Yet, its influence is broad when it is designed to have boundaries. While it shapes how we interact, think, and live, if we’re not careful, it can easily become an idol. In Mark, Jesus had a discussion about money. On the surface, it appears to be about taxes. However, when we dive deeper, it is revealed this tax or “tribute coin” bared an image of Caesar that changed their worship. It represented an expression of and devotion to Caesar. Have you ever considered if money has ever changed the image of who you worship? When we remember that we are a reflection of the image of God, we can choose to realign our minds to better serve Jesus, our one true worship.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” —Mark 12:30
The human mind is the most powerful tool in the universe. It can either lead to destruction or to creation. As Christians, we’re called to love the Lord with our minds—our thoughts, understanding, knowledge, perspective, and reasoning.
When the religious leaders asked Jesus whether or not to pay taxes to Caesar, the conversation appeared to be about money. In truth, it goes much deeper. The Roman coin had Caesar's image, but we bear God's image. We should pay our taxes to whom they are due, but we belong to God and God alone.
The way we choose to think will determine the way we live. We can either use our thoughts to learn who God created us to be or believe the lie of the enemy. When it comes to money we must understand that money can either pay tribute to God or turn into a god. Our thoughts toward money speak volumes in how we honor God. Money bears an image and is a concept but we each also bear an image and an inscription. We were created in the image of God. Therefore our reason, knowledge, perspective, and understanding need to be founded on loving Jesus, not money. May our thoughts focus on who God is and live according to how he wants us to live. May we love God with our minds.
Take a moment to evaluate your life and list areas where you’ve placed more value on money rather than God.
All of you that are already in our database will receive a text this upcoming Thursday from our new text platform. It isn’t spam, it’s really us! This will become a primary way for us to resource, equip, and update you. We encourage you to save this number and opt in for more updates.
VOUS High is youth community of VOUS and we are creating a space for middle schoolers to gather for service every Sunday.
Students will start with worship in the main auditorium and then be dismissed to their junior high space. This will be a moment to connect with other students, hear a message, and then discuss in small groups.
For more information and to RSVP your student, click here
Join us at the annual ILMC Thanksgiving Bash to distribute meal kits and turkeys. Also, bring a chair and cheer on your favorite team at our annual VOUS Bowl.
To serve, click here
Date: Saturday, November 23rd
Time: 9:00AM - 12:30PM
Location: Charles Hadley Park
1350 NW 50th St
Miami, FL 33142
Ready to kick off Thanksgiving with a burst of energy and community? Join us bright and early at Peacock Park for the VOUS 10K Turkey Trot! Whether you're a runner, a walker, or somewhere in between, this is a chance to start your day with some fresh air, great friends, and all-around fun! See you at the starting line!
To sign up for the Turkey Trot, click here
Date: Thursday, November 28th
Time: 6:00AM
Location: Peacock Park
2820 McFarlane Rd.
Miami, FL 33133
On Sunday, December 1st we're bringing our annual Tree Lighting tradition to both our SoMi and Miami Gardens Locations! Sign up to serve and join us for a night of fun! Invite your friends and let's welcome the Christmas season together!
Please note: There will not be a 6PM service at VOUS City. Instead, join us at VOUS Miami Gardens for the 6PM service, followed by the tree lighting celebration.
Date: December 1st
Time: 7:30PM
Location:
VOUS Miami Gardens
17801 NW 2nd Ave
Miami, FL 33169
VOUS SoMi
6767 Sunset Dr
South Miami, FL 33143
To serve, click here
VOUS SoMi
8:45AM / 10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS City
10:30AM / 12:30PM / 6PM
VOUS Miami Gardens
10:30AM / 12:30PM
VOUS Design District
10:30AM / 12:30PM
Church Online
10AM / 5PM Español
Growth Track
After every service or join online at vouschurch.com/growthtrack
